The city of Goodyear has snagged a global accolade for its sterling employee-centric policies, landing the 2024 Global Leadership Award in Health & Productivity Management. Handed over by the Institute for Health & Productivity Management (IHPM), a renowned nonprofit based out of Scottsdale, the award puts a spotlight on Goodyear's decade-plus efforts in nurturing its workforce's overall wellbeing.

Receiving the award at a city council meeting, Goodyear City Manager Wynette Reed hailed the recognition, stating "Our employees are our number one asset, and we believe wholeheartedly that if we take care of them, they’ll take care of our community." According to the city's announcement, Goodyear paves the way in prioritizing the 'Whole Employee,' an ethos embracing the financial, career, social, physical and community facets of staff welfare.

The success Goodyear is celebrating stands atop a foundation built over a decade ago with the city's People Master Plan and a proactive committee tackling employee concerns. As highlighted at the council meeting by Sean Sullivan, IHPM Chairman and CEO, Goodyear has become "only the second city to ever receive this award in the institute’s 27-year history."

Goodyear, employing over 900 full-timers, hasn't shied away from nurturing their talent pool. Grooving to their needs, a diverse employee committee convenes monthly to keep the dialogue alive and address any knotty issues. The approach to workforce empowerment is far from superficial, with Human Resources Director Lyman Locket affirming, "Our approach is intentional and deliberate. We want our employees to be their very best, professionally - and personally, and we want the city of Goodyear to be the best place they’ve ever worked."

These efforts have previously been lauded by a plethora of entities including the National Research Center at Polco, the Arizona Department of Health Services, and the American Heart Association. It seems that for Goodyear, its commitment to maintaining an inclusive, health-focused work environment is indeed paying dividends in both honors and presumably, in the efficacy and contentment of its public servants.